章 3: Deyna

She could hear the chirping of the birds through the window when she opened her eyes. She looked at the nipa hut above her. Everything seemed unfamiliar to her.

She stirred and then moved to get up.

"Ouch!" She cried as she felt a sharp pain in her body. Her head was pounding, and she felt a little dizzy. She blinked several times and looked around.

She slowly stood up and walked outside. There were so many trees, and the warm and gentle breeze blowing from those trees touched her smooth and pale face.

"You're finally awake, child," said an old man, who was walking towards her.

He stood in front of her and held her wrist to feel her pulse.

"It's finally normal. You will soon be back in good shape. It's a miracle that you woke up," The old man said with a smile.

"I'm the Chief Doctor in this village. You can call me Chief Doctor Song. What is your name, child? You were severely injured and barely breathing when I found you. You were unconscious for two weeks," Doctor Song explained.

"I… hmm I am… sorry but I don't know. I don't remember my name... Ahhh…" she stammered and touched her temple unconsciously as she felt a sudden jolt of pain in her head.

Doctor Song creased his forehead and stared at her.

"It could be because of the hit you got on your head… Tell me, child, what about the last thing that happened to you? Do you remember?" Doctor Song asked, and she just gently shook her head.

Doctor Song later tested her on fundamental things. She was asked about letters and numbers, if she knew how to write and read, if she knew the current year, if she knew the name of several objects. He also asked other questions with regards to matters of common sense.

After he helped her to a hearty meal, Doctor Song explained, "You are suffering from amnesia, child. But it seems like your knowledge about basic things remained intact. You only lost part of your memories about your own life. There are many types of amnesia, but for now, I will observe how you progress."

Doctor Song saw the confusion and frustration on her face.

"Hmm, don't worry, child. You have escaped death so you will overcome this predicament too. For now, let me give you a name. You can also use my surname, and meanwhile, I can adopt you until you remember anything. You can also stay with me if you want," He suggested as he looked at her with a tender smile.

She smiled back, but unlike his, hers was a soulless smile. Not knowing about her past made her feel incomplete. But even more importantly, she was puzzled at the fact that she was found unconscious on a riverbank. She was on the brink of death from the fall and a gunshot wound. Why? How?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden excitement in Doctor Song's voice as he proposed a name for her, "How about I call you 'Deyna'?"

Her lips curled into a smile, and she whispered, "Deyna… I like it."

...........

Xander was watching the headlines of the news.

The trending news was about the missing heiress of the Life Hospitals Group and the sudden hospitalization of Old Master Han.

"This is total chaos for their group since Old Master Han and Yera Han have both held the highest positions and own most of the company's shares. I believe her fiance's family will take over since the Chu's are the next biggest shareholders," his assistant said.

Xander's eyebrows arched, "Don't you think something is really odd? Why would they leave that Chu guy behind? He's also loaded, right?"

Assistant Ron scratched his head. He had also thought about it, but until the official investigation was finished, everything was just a speculation.

Both men were startled by an abrupt opening of the door. It was Senior Yang with a gloomy and darkened face directed at Xander.

"Leave us!" he shouted at Assistant Ron. The latter quickly obeyed. The young master would surely receive a massive sermon this time, and he would still have left the room even if Senior Yang didn't instruct him to.

"When will you stop? Dammit, Xander! How many women are you planning to be in a scandal with? You date a different girl every week. For goodness sake!" Hissed Senior Yang.

Xander rolled his eyes and said, "Dad, what do you want me to do? You're the one who asked for this! You keep saying you want a grandchild! 'Get married,' you said! 'Continue the family line,' you said! But to do that, I need to find the right woman that would… Darn!"

Xander couldn't even finish the sentence. How could he prolong dating any of those women or embark on a romantic journey with them, when his stupid little buddy down there wouldn't even salute to any of them.

Yes, he had a very unique and a very unexplainable disease. What he had was what various doctors termed as a 'SELECTIVE erectile dysfunction'.

How absurd, you might say? Yes, It was indeed as absurd as it might sound! Because even the doctors could not explain why he was experiencing such a thing when everything about him was perfectly normal.

All the tests were normal. Xander was perfectly healthy. So how come his little buddy refused to act just as how the little buddy of a perfectly normal and healthy man was supposed to work?

"Dad, I told you none of those women could make it work. I'm very frustrated too! Being labeled as a playboy when I barely even touched any of those women," Xander protested.

Senior Yang sighed as he desperately implored his son, "Can't you at least tone it down? Or do everything discreetly? For goodness sake, most of those women come from prominent families, and some are well-known for their own careers, so of course, people will talk! What else do you expect?"

Xander sighed and murmured, "Maybe I should just stay single forever, Dad. What do you think? Let's stop the lineage with me..."

Senior Yang's jaws hardened, and his face reddened when he saw a wicked grin plastered on his son's face as he said those words.

He threw whatever he could grab at Xander.

"You rascal! You dare!? I will disown you! No, I will end the lineage myself by killing you!"